Hi moms..maybe you can give me some advice on this? My son is 4 1/2 months old, he is a very active generally happy but very fussy baby. He is meeting all of his milestones and is a whopping 19 lbs,(hes not fat, just big) but has always been kind of a fussy eater..i am mostly breastfeeding but some formula (nutramigen) he really only eats for about 5 min on each breast (maximum) and will take about 1 or 2 ounces of formula afterwards..sometimes..it seems like he sould be eating so much more. he is not on a regular eating schedule..he eats about every 1-2 hours, im confused as to weather or not this is normal..maybe someone has had a similar situation..by the way, he has always had stomach issues (not sure what) that is why he is on nutramigen and i do already watch what i eat (very closely) we use gas drops and recently my Ped said to try mylanta in the case that it might be silent reflux..ahhhh help!
Eating that often can be normal. Adding a proticotic (I love PB8) can help with digestion AND more importanly absoprtion. My kids have all gotten PB8 since they were infants and it's made a HUGE difference with bowel movements and gas. I would try the PB8 WAY before I did mylanta.
Hi K.,
Your little guy might have reflux. Both of my sons had it and could only drink small amounts of formula (We had to switch from breast to Enfamil AR)very frequently. I never slept it seemed because they would eat so often. (One is now 7 & the other is 2). Now they are both normal eaters although one is very picky! :)
He might only be eating what he can handle,& probley stops when he starts to feel uncomfortable, tummy trouble. If you are able to, it wouldn't hurt to see a pediatric gastro specialist. This made all the difference for us. Hope this is helpful, & that your baby finds comfort soon.
If he is thriving and weight 19 pounds I would not worry. Sounds about right for a 4 and a half month old. They don't eat a ton at one feeding, but eat often because there tummies are small. Your doc will let you know if he is not where he needs to be.
Love how the medical professions likes to play guessing games with our children. Could it be that maybe that's all he wants... at 19 pounds and only 4.5 months I would NOT be worried about how little he's eating... my son's 20 months and 23 pounds... and VERY healthy. Just let it be... as my ped once said "We have enough fat kids in this world, don't worry about making another one."
I believe that your dr may be right about the reflux issue, however he should probably refer you to a pediatric GI to handle his nutrition & reflux medication (if needed). Mylanta will only get you so far and WILL NOT help silent aspiration, especially if it comes from above (when he swallows). A Ped GI can run different tests. Nutramigen is a specialized formula and very expensive, not something you would WANT to be on for long if it isn't helping him. You may want to try a reflux forum such as parent-2-parent.com/forum to get some more input on this issue.
Hi Kkam,
just curious why you give formula if you are breastfeeding--you didn't say. If it's a apply think, there are herbs and even medications which can help with that. I used tonpump and feed back the milk but realized that kind of screwed with my production.
If you so has reflux, you could try nursing him in a more upright position and prop up the crib on one side (under the mattress).
kellymom.com is a great resource for all things nursing and feeding.
Good luck.
When he is eating on the breast for those 5 minutes, is he drinking and swallowing the whole time? If he is, then no worries, if you have a good milk supply, then that's probably enough for him. He's obviously getting enough food, my 1 year old is only a little over 19 pounds, so your baby definitely has been eating :) Have you actually been giving formula after every breastfeeding, so every 1 or 2 hours? I bet he doesn't need that. At that age, I could imagine him eating every 1-2 hours (some babies do go longer, but all are different), and if you are feeding him formula because you think you have a supply issue, you really don't need to. If you just feed him from the breast on demand, if you aren't making enough milk (although I really think you have no problem with that), you will start to produce more because he will start feeding more (maybe even longer). Maybe he is only on for 10 minutes a feeding because he's just snacking. If you take a couple of days, breastfeed him only, and on demand, you will probably find that he doesn't really need that formula, and may even start to eat longer. One more thing, when you feed him every 1 to 2 hours, is he really hungry, or fussy about something else? Try diaper, nap, etc. before you feed him, since he might not actually be hungry every time. This may help him snack less, if that is what he is doing.
Have you tried talking to a lactation consultant? The folks at the Pump Station are first rate. Without knowing all of the details, it sounds like you might have overactive letdown (aka: high milk production). If he is that big, I wonder if he is getting more than enough to eat from you without any formula.... Just a thought. Good luck.
My son was 18.5lbs at 4mos and ate every 3 hours (1 nighttime feeding). Have you pumped to see how much you are producing (he will get more than you pump). Feeding every 1-2 hours seems like a lot, but he is obviously getting what he needs. I agree with adding the probiotic, it worked wonders for my son also, and I've got him back on regular milk-based formula when I have to give him a bottle. I also know that tomato based meals upset him (pizza, pasta) and OJ/lemonade. Take a look at that as well.
My daughter was like that and I found out she was hungry and gave her rice cereal. The doc was against it but finally agreed as long as I fed it to her off a spoon. It made a major difference. She is now 20 years old.....good luck.
Hi K.,
I can tell you are a very concerned and good mommy. I have a few questions for you: Did your son already have stomach issues when you first introduced formula? Is that why you are giving your son nutramigen? I would like to hear more about his early breastfeeding and exactly what his stomach issues are. This must be very worrisome for you. Before you give your baby mylanta I would like to talk to you more about this situation. I am a lactation consultant who specializes in exclusive breastfeeding. Please visit my website at: VirtualBreastfeedingHelp.com to make an appointment. I provide consultations via SKYPE in the privacy of your own home - you don't have to go anywhere!
I look forward to hearing from you, K..
L., IBCLC
My son could literally down 20oz in under 10 minutes (lactation consultants weighed him before and after)...but then I'd have to burp him for a half an hour to an hour after each feeding. Oy. One little one right away and then a monster burp later on, or major major gas and stomach upsets would follow. My cousin's baby though took half an hour or longer to nurse and burped right away. Kids are all just different (and so are our "milk-guns", as a toddler I know just recently described breasts).
Unless you have a lactation consultant weigh him right before nursing, and right after, it's truely impossible to tell how much they're actually eating in a sitting. We did several weigh checks with our hospital this way. But even though the average was 20oz a feeding (from the beginning all the way to 9 months...we agreed to be part of a study)...I could never pump more than an ounce or two at MOST. Sigh. He also ate every hour or two on average, but was a very very good sleeper.
How often he's eating sounds TOTALLY normal, because you're feeding him when he's hungry. 99.99999% of babies know when they're hungry. It sounds like he's healthy, thriving, and you're doing the best thing for him by feeding on demand. Keep it up!! :)
